( 1- 1) ROTARY 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- 0 2 2
( 2- 0) 20TH CENTURY 4 0 2 0 0 x -- 6 4 0
W - Schley (1-0)
L - Tantum (0-1)
The Twentieth Century club of the Garfield Little League treated the Rutherford Rotarys to a 6-0 shutout on Tuesday night at Lyndhurst Little League Park to eliminate the local team from the North Bergen Little League Tournament in the second round of play.
A loose-jointed sidearm pitcher named Ron Schley and a gamble which failed to pay off spelled the defeat which ruled the Rotary team from further tournament play on Tuesday.
The gamble was Rotary manager Bill Tantum’s decision to start Billy Tantum against a Garfield nine which played errorless ball behind Schley’s two-hit 11-strikeout hurling. With the exception of Frank Pollara, who bashed out both of his team’s hits, the Rotarys were helpless against Schley’s sidearm slants and John Sudol’s submarine hurling. Tantum lasted but a third of an inning.
Rotary threatened in the first when Jack Kreiling opened with a walk and went to second on a passed ball while Joe Gusera was striking out, but Kreiling was out when he attempted to make third on Billy Hands’s grounder to the hot corner and after Hands took seoncd on a ball which got by the catcher Pollara flied out to end the inning.
Garfield came in for their turn at bat and promptly bagged the game.
After Soice opened with a walk and was forced at second by Bokay, Schley doubled Bokay home and took third on an error. Ed Schley followed with a walk. Pollara replaced Tantum, and bob Dionisio’s bobble let both runners score and Vanyo go all the way to third, whence he scored as Scio bounced out, second to first.
Pollara pitched good ball the rest of the way, allowing but three hits and two runs and striking out eight.
The Centuries scored the game’s final two runs in the third when Ron Schley opened with his second double in a row, took third on a passed ball, and scored on a wild pitch. Ed Schley and Scio followed with walks and Alia’s single drove Schley across the platter.
Rotary threatened but twice more, once when Pollara doubled with two down in the fourth and took third on an error only to be stranded as Tantum whiffed, and again when Frank singled in the sixth to send Joe Guesera, who had walked, to third, Pollara taking second on the throw-in. Again two were down and again Tantum closed the inning with a strikeout.
With the exception of Pollara, Rotary batsmen looked pathetic against Schley, backing away from the plate in almost every instance to take their cuts and the Rutherford team looked hardly more effective afield. It just wasn’t their day to howl.